Thelma Emma Pringle, 86, of Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, Thelma Emma Pringle transitioned to eternal life.

We Speak Your Name

Thelma Emma Pringle's Life Journey

Inspired by Pearl Cleave's "We Speak Your Names"

Because we are spiritual people, born of spiritual people, we celebrate your spirituality.Because we are free people, born of free people, we celebrate your freedom.Because we are wise people, born of wise people, we celebrate your wisdom.And because we are loving people, born of loving people, we celebrate your love.

Thelma Emma Pringle, we speak your name.

We celebrate Thelma today—who entered our lives on January 16, 1937, in Sumter, South Carolina,to the late Thomas and Rachel Vareen Galloway Pringle. Being the youngest of 10 children was hard,but Thelma easily left her own mark and legacy in life with simple grace and elegance – we know she made her parents proud. Thelma was educated in the public schools of Sumter, SC, where her oldersister, Bernice, was one of her elementary school teachers. She went on to attend Morris College in Sumter, SC, receiving a degree in English.

As part of the great Black migration from the South, in 1962, Thelma followed in the footsteps of her older brothers, Johnnie, Clarence "CJ", and Lewis, and moved to Washington, DC. One of her first jobs was at the famous Miles'-long Sandwich Shop, where she would bring home a mile or half-mile sandwich to share. Then in 1975, she purchased her first home on Bonini Road.

The doors to Thelma's home were always open; it was a safe space where she wasn't just Auntie but mother, grandmother and friend, providing a home to over 23 family members and friends over the years. Her home was a place of happiness, peace, and healing where she doted on us. Thelma's kitchen was everything: it was a "soul food restaurant" where she taught us how to cook and hosted an amazing family brunch every New Year's Day—can someone say Pringle-Bingo; it was a "beauty shop" where her specialty was a press and curl—with Bergamot hair grease; it was a library where she was our tutor helping us with homework; and lord knows it was a therapist couch where she counseled us, offering sage advice, starting with her favorite phrase, "My thing is." She was the original Iyanla "Fix My Life," and we knew we could trust her with our secrets. It was also in that home that she "lovingly" gave out punishments when we pushed her love to the limit; many of you remember standing in the corner facing the wall with your arms up until you got yourself together. That tough love pushed us to be better and do better.

We speak your name.

Thelma went beyond showing us tough love; she also showed us the world. Thelma loved to travel and experience new places, and of course, she took us with her on those adventures. Many of us remember going with her to family reunions, museums, fairs, church bus trips, to see fireworks on the 4th of July, to South Carolina for Thanksgiving, and even our first concerts. She also loved gardening and would spend hours on large puzzles.

Thelma was an avid reader and an educator at heart, and she particularly loved history and culture, becoming one of the first Pringle family historians. She traced our family tree back eight generations to the 1800s to Pa Billy, an entertainer who performed and danced for President Lincoln. Thelma introduced later generations to dance including Felicia and Shane, and now Niaira and Ava Rose continue the 200-year tradition of Pringles dancing and entertaining. Today we talk about building generational wealth, but Thelma invested in each of us, providing generational love for at least five Pringle and Taylor generations, intimately and meticulously customizing her love for each of us—her love was so special that we all thought we were her favorite, but this was just the special way she knew how to love.

We speak your name.

There was so much to love about Thelma – she was one of the most caring and generous spirits we would ever know – which made her the ultimate friend and caregiver. She lived to serve, and as a faithful member of Matthews Memorial Baptist Church for many years, she was part of the "My Sisters House" Ministry that provided community outreach. She also worked as a social worker at the DC Government Food Stamp Office for over 30 years serving at-risk communities and feeding people experiencing homelessness. After retirement, she opened a daycare in her home; she loved children and poured into them and watched them grow beyond belief into something majestic, pressed down, shaken together, and running over—you know how Pringles do.

Then she became a caregiver to her precious elder Aunt Janie. As God does all things decently and in order, the same compassionate and loving care she so generously gave to others, she was blessed to receive for the last seven years of her life from Ms. Ida Hinds, who epitomized Thelma's loving spirit, and for that, we are grateful.

We speak your name.

On Wednesday, April 26, at 4:32 am, Thelma peacefully entered eternal rest in the presence of God and her ancestors, wearing her Pringle Family Reunion tee shirt, with her niece Sharon praying her through to her next place of blessing. She was listening to gospel music playing in the background and scriptures. Still, it was when she heard the words from the great theologian Dr. James Cone on Black Liberation, that a tear rolled down her cheek, as she let out a beautiful shout of victory that she seemed to pull from the very depths of her soul, and she took her last breath. She was welcomed home by all her siblings who preceded her in death: Johnnie, Bernice, Thomas, Jr., Dorothy, Sara, CJ, Ralph, Lewis, and Lucille.

Thelma leaves to cherish her memory and celebrate her legacy: faithful niece and guardianPatricia (Joseph) Hawkins; two daughters, Alice Felicia Taylor and Shelia (Jyronn) Moody; four grandchildren, Dyontae Taylor, Shane (Robert) Brooks, Donte (Nichelle) Taylor and Jyronn Moody, Jr.; four great-grandchildren Niaira, Robert Jr, Trebor, and Josiah; special nieces Sharon Pringle, Yuletta Pringle, Joi Hawkins, Joselynn (Lionel) Fountain and Orienthia Brimfield; anointed caregivers Ida Hines, Emma "Neu" Oates, and Winsome Maxwell; along with a host of cousins, family, and friends.

We've had a wonderful life because of Aunt Thelma—she was one of the greatest gifts God could have ever given us. We could not have known that her example would inspire us to emulate her love and caring spirit. The New Year's Brunch she started, Yuletta now continues; Sharon is now the family historian, keeping our family tree up-to-date; and Patricia has become a caregiver for the family, opening her home to family members recuperating from surgery and checking in on our elders. Our challenge moving forward as a family is to be what we miss the most about Aunt Thelma—be the caregiver, host New Year's brunch, mentor children, feed the homeless, inspire countless generations, open our homes to people who need it, and love the Lord with all our hearts and souls unconditionally.

Thelma Emma Pringle, we speak your name…it's a blessing and an honor to speak your name…and for that, we are forever grateful…

Because we are spiritual people, born of spiritual people, we celebrate your spirituality.

Because we are free people, born of free people, we celebrate your freedom.

Because we are wise people, born of wise people, we celebrate your wisdom.

And because we are loving people, born of loving people, who sure-nuff know how to love, we celebrate your love, we celebrate your love.

We speak your name Thelma Emma Pringle—we will always speak your name!

Viewing, 10:00 a.m., until time of Service, 11:00 a.m., Thursday, May 18, 2023 at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, 2616 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20020. Interment, Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, 4001 Suitland Road, Suitland, Maryland 20746.